CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – John Tyler Community College honored more than 55 spring nursing graduate candidates on May 6, 2013, during a pinning ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Koger Center in Chesterfield County. Dr. Marshall W. Smith, president of John Tyler Community College, delivered the keynote address. Those in attendance also heard from Chad Doebler, Sara Kaut and Eli Doxtator, three of the spring semester Nursing Program graduates. An inspirational musical selection was provided by Ms. Dale Williams as a tribute to her classmates.

The nursing graduate candidates are as follows (zip codes appear in parentheses):

Pinning dates back to the 1880s. The pin, given to graduate candidates, symbolizes the school of nursing where the students earned their clinical experience, achieved academic credentials and began their socialization into the profession. The ceremony marks the completion of that rigorous training and is often viewed with the same importance as commencement.

John Tyler Community College is a two-year, public institution of higher education and is the fifth largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. With campuses in Chester and Midlothian and off-campus classrooms throughout the area, John Tyler offers quality and economical opportunities for students who want to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year college or university, train for the workforce, or switch careers. The College, which served more than 14,895 students during the 2011-12 academic year, offers 18 associate degrees, eight certificates, and 35 career studies certificates. The institution also serves 15,000 non-credit students and more than 1,000 companies and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce Alliance. The College also is committed to sustainability. In July 2010, it received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification for Hamel Hall on its Midlothian Campus, becoming the first in the Virginia Community College System to receive such recognition. John Tyler Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.